


Away

by Hannahbear1110



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:36:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27578588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannahbear1110/pseuds/Hannahbear1110
Summary: A one-shot Dramione that follows Draco as he remembers his near-kiss with Hermione during the Battle of Hogwarts.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 8
Kudos: 33





	Away

~The Battle of Hogwarts~

Draco was panicking. Where was everyone? It seemed like there were screams and bangs all around him but he was all alone. He wanted to find someone, anyone who would help him. But who would bother? If he found a dark wizard they would only be interested in bringing him along to take more people's lives. If it were a wizard in the Order they would surely curse him. Or worse. But he didn't want to be alone.

He rounded a corner and tripped over another body. Don't look. He told himself over and over again, before a curl caught his attention. He had to look.

Fear choked him as he rolled the girl over. Lavender Brown, not Granger. He moved on, ignoring the relief that ran like cool water through his veins.

Another corner, more bangs, more screams. Running blindly. A crash and the air knocked out of him. He scrambled back, grasping his wand tightly as the witch across from him did the same. "Granger." It was more of a sigh than anything.

"Malfoy." Her wand was trained on him and her eyes darkened with distrust.

They struggled to their feet without breaking eye contact. There was movement to their right as Vincent Crabbe Sr. emerged beside them.

"Very nice Draco! Say, you wouldn't mind me tossing a couple of curses her way before you finish her off, right?"

"Actually I do mind. I've got something planned for this one and I'd hate for her to not make it through the whole thing." Draco managed to sound bored, though his hands shook a little. Thankfully the older Crabbe conceded and left them alone. Draco turned back to Hermione with just enough time to fend off a jinx from her. "Granger, stop. I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Liar! I just heard what you said to him!" She screeched between curses and jinxes.

"I was protecting you! For Merlin's sake stop."

Hermione hesitated for a fraction of a second but it was all Draco needed. He grabbed her wand wrist first and then the other, pinning her to the wall with her arms above her head.

"Let. Me. Go." she ground out, anger coloring her cheeks the rosiest of reds.

Draco leaned his forehead against hers. She stilled for a moment, clearly taken aback by the gesture. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "Merlin, you're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

It felt like hours, but it was probably just a few seconds. Hermione's breathing slowed, and after a moment her fingers entwined with his, a million unspoken words passing between them "I'm so sorry." Draco broke the silence. "For everything."

"Prove it." her whisper ghosted across his lips, mingling with his breath. "Show me."

He leaned in, savoring the feeling, watching in slow motion as her lips parted to take his in, like lovers hugging after time apart.

Instead of the softness of her lips, he felt the air from her scream, and rubble as the wall beside them exploded.

He lost her in the chaos, they were blown apart and by the time he recovered she was gone.

~Present Day, April 1999~

Draco nervously glanced around at his surroundings before ducking behind the curtain within the walls of the library of Hogwarts. Back here was a secret sitting room, forgotten by the student body over time. Except for himself and one other student. As the heavy curtain thumped back into place, his companion turned, her face darkened by the small fire behind her but that bushy hair recognizable anywhere.

"About time, Malfoy." Even with her face darkened, he could hear the smirk that graced her face.

"What's the matter Granger, missed me?" He bantered as he made his way to the chair across from her chair, dropping his school bag on the coffee table.

Hermione smiled as she went back to reading, decidedly not answering his question.

They met like this everyday after classes had let out. It had started when their eighth year at Hogwarts had begun. Hermione was the only three from the Golden Trion return, and Draco was the only Slytherin to return. They had both stumbled upon the room while seeking privacy from the prying eyes of their peers.

He had hesitated the first time their paths crossed here, but she had set him straight and reminded him that they could be in the same room as each other. That had been it. No fights, no prejudices. Just two people, almost friends, enjoying the company of the other. Today was no different, having followed their routine for almost 8 months. But Draco had begun to feel a shift. He felt a warmth in him while he was with her and he was beginning to crave the feeling. If he had ever been in love before, he might have guessed that it would feel something like this.

It was the little things, the way she picked at the skin on her lip while reading, accidentally causing them to swell ever so slightly. Or the way she tugged at the curl by her left ear while she furiously scribbled notes on her papers. He loved watching her forehead scrunch when she worked on a difficult question, and the way the right side of her mouth pulled up in a small smile when she saw him.

Sitting here in their little room, he realized he wanted this to keep going. He didn't want school to end in 2 months and that would be the end of their friendship. He didn't want to lose the chance for it to become something more. Everything was perfect here, almost dreamlike.

"Let's find a flat together after graduation." he blurted out, followed by a silent curse at himself for saying it.

Hermione's head snapped up. "What?"

"That came out wrong. What I meant to say is I enjoy this." He gestured around them, at their room. "I was just thinking about how it would be nice to continue. We could get a two bedroom flat somewhere." He tried desperately to save himself.

Hermione's cheeks flushed, her eyes refusing to meet his. She huffed, "I don't know, Malfoy."

"Never mind, forget I said anything." Draco slipped a mask of indifference on.

"So you don't want to find a flat together?" Hermione huffed.

Draco stuttered trying to find the right words to tell her. "No, I do. I just didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Hermione started packing her school bag, against Draco's protests. "You can't just ask me to move in with you and then rescind the invitation. Merlin Draco, I thought you'd have at least asked me out by now.."

She made a move to leave and Draco did the first thing he could think to do. Pin her to the wall like he had at the Battle.

"Please wait." He begged, even though the position suggested she didn't have a choice, he would have let her go as soon as she told him too. But she stayed there. "I was nervous. Why would you ever say yes to dating someone like me?"

Hermione's stern gaze softened. "Because I like you Draco. Because we've become good friends and I feel like it feels natural to take the next step."

"Then be my girlfriend."

"About time, Malfoy." she looked up at him, her mouth pulling up in a shy smile.

He leaned in close to her, feeling her shiver as his breath tickled her ear. "Do you remember Hermione? The first time we nearly kissed? We were standing just like this, within the walls of this same castle." He gave her earlobe the small nibble.

"I remember." Hermione gasped.

Memories from the Battle assaulted his mind, something not quite lining up.

"Where did you go?" he asked, unsure of why.

Hermione closed almost the rest of the distance between their lips, not quite touching his. "Away, Draco. I had to go away."

Suddenly a nagging in the back of his mind, like the lyrics to a song he couldn't remember. "Hermione?"

"Hmm?" she was so close it almost hurt his eyes trying to lock onto hers.

"What does that mean? Away?"

Hermione sighed, closing her eyes. "I don't want to answer that Draco." she rested her hand on his chest to stop him from asking, because she knew he wanted to ask her why. "If I tell you then I'll have to go Away again." her voice was just barely a whisper now.

Draco's brows knitted together in confusion. Suddenly a wave of images flooded his mind. The almost kiss at the Battle, the explosion, the dust settling around him. Hermione. On the floor across the hall with blood dripping from her curls, struggling to get up. A figure standing over her, seemingly unaware of Draco's presence nearby. A raised wand and a flash of green. Hermione's body sagging to the ground and the figure darting away. The feel of a scream ripping from his throat and everything fading to black as he lost consciousness.

Snapping back to their room, Draco found himself alone, silent tears tracing their way down his cheeks. He stumbled into his chair and put his head in his hands, ignoring the dusty, unused chair across from him as 10 months of grief and denial washed over him.


End file.
